just checked youtube there is a guy with a whole series or let's play AC3 already. i don't know how he got it early. im gonna just watch his gameplay, trying to skip story moments, i still want to be surprised, but i gotta see some gameplay.

i noticed the map and the weapons hud are on opposite sides now.

__________________
"fear should not exist in your mind, if you fear you will never accomplish anything"

Btw, for those wondering, I don't have the game YET (I plan on picking it up Wednesday or so, once this storm passes); I HAVE seen the whole game via someone's Youtube walkthrough and looks like it REALLY lives up to the hype. I can answer the following questions and any plot-related questions you might have right now while keeping spoilers to a minimum. I'll be updating this post with more exact spoiler-lite answers after I've at least read through the strategy guide that I'm buying later this week, so don't worry. So, that said, consider this post as a FAQ to your burning questions regarding Assassin's Creed 3's main storyline!

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:

* Is the whole conflict with Abstergo and Vidic still trying to hunt Desmond and company down get resolved properly?- Oh, yes it does, I can say that. And, without being too specific, let's just say Vidic FINALLY gets what's coming to him. BIG TIME. And it's SO satisfying when it happens. Also, before that confrontation, we do get to see Desmond come face to face with Daniel Cross from "The Fall" and "The Chain" comics and the multiplayer storyline.

* Speaking of Desmond, does he get some action this time and not just stay in the Animus the whole time?- Yep, there's a couple of missions with him that take place outside the main hub area in the Vault where everyone's set up shop with the Animus. The aforementioned resolution to the Abstergo/Vidic storyline takes center-stage in the last of these missions towards the end of the game. These also take place between certain Sequences in the Animus, namely right after Sequences 5, 8, and 10. Don't worry, they still look fun, though!

* Are there any more Subject 16-related stuff/hidden mini-games related to the present-day plotline in this game?- Not that I know of, though I'm not entirely sure. While there seems to be plenty of side-quests in the game, the video walkthrough series I saw didn't seem to hint at any similar hidden side-quests like the ones from AC 2, Brotherhood, and Revelations to be found this time around. I'll know more later this week after I pick up the game.

* Are we given more info on Juno and Minerva this time around?- Yes, and let's just say there's more to what happened to them than has been let on previously....

* What's the deal with the guy you play as early on, and who exactly is he?- The guy you start the main Animus sequences storyline as is actually Haythan Kenway (and, no, that's not a typo: that's actually how his first name is spelt), Connor's British father. I won't spoil it, but there's a MAJOR plot twist regarding him that's revealed at the end of Sequence 3 (the last time you play as him) that's gonna make ALL OF YOU scream "WTF?!?" in shock! Hell, when I first saw it happen, I certainly didn't see it coming and I, too found myself blurting out lout in surprise! It's a brilliantly crafter twist, and it sets up the conflict for the rest of the game in a way that's radically different than both Ezio and Altair's storylines before this.

That's all for now. Feel free to post your questions, and I'll gladly answer them as best I can and add the responses to this post.

Haha, same here. The game hasn't been out for one day yet and spoilers about the end are already coming in. I know some people have it early and there's stuff online, but I don't want to know anything until I play it, whenever that may be.

“An absolute masterpiece to which the experience remains indispensable for any fan of video games and beyond, with a depth of gameplay and longevity unparalleled in the action scene, a game that will remain in the annals for a long time.”

But I really do hope it is as great as people are starting to say. I've always loved the franchise and felt like it didn't get any recognition for being a good series after ACB and ACR, so it's nice to see it back in the spotlight after all that.

Yeah, this is where video game hype loses me completely... I don't care how excited people are for a game, an article based around one reviewer who thought a game was buggy is just the laziest kind of journalism around. They're just monopolising on the fact that right now there are thousands of people, if not more, trawling the net for review info and that will get their website hits. This is how stupid ideas get spread. All you need now are several other lazy gaming outlets, without a review of their own to post, to repeat the same article and then you get everyone talking about 'game breaking bugs' like they're fact.